Dickenson County Sheriff's Office, Virginia
End of Watch: Tuesday, March 6, 1973
Age: 53
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 6, 1973
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Deputy Sheriff Duran Ratliff was shot and killed after stopping a Clintwood police officer after receiving reports that the officer was driving drunk while in uniform.
The officer was pulled over by Deputy Ratliff on McClure Avenue. As the two men spoke while standing outside of their vehicles, another deputy pulled up and exited his patrol car with a gun drawn. Shooting ensued in which Deputy Ratliff and the Clintwood officer were both shot and killed.
Deputy Ratliff's third cousin, Officer J. Wesley Moore, was shot and killed in the line of duty on July 27th, 1944, while serving with the Clendenin Police Department, West Virginia.
Deputy Ratliff was a WWII U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Dickenson County Sheriff's Office for two years. He was survived by his wife and three children.